Thanksgiving Thoughts

Well, Turkey Day is officially over and once again, MeMe (Judy) outdid herself on the turkey and pecan pie. It was really cute having Bailey-Boo sitting in my lap grazing on pre-dinner turkey. For those of you unfortunate to have not tasted Judy's diabetic-friendly pecan pie, boy... You have no idea what you are missing out on. She makes it with Splenda and it is my little piece of Texas that makes me a little homesick at times.

I was listening to the radio the other day and heard this man complain because his family has a tradition of saying what they are thankful for before eating the meal and it got me thinking... What am I thankful for? After loading the pictures and videos from Thanksgiving this year, it hit me... I'm thankful for my family. My sister's made it through hurricanes safe. My mom is doing well in Ohio. She is making new friends and seems to be adjusting just fine. Now, I think she might be a little happier if we could somehow manage to get some of the Texas warmth there to Ohio. 

I couldn't ask for a better extended family. I mean, when my oldest daughter arrived from Texas, she came complete with matching emotional baggage, but they took it in stride, opened up their hearts and took her in as one of the family. Even after everything she put Jennifer, Bailey and I through this year, it is refreshing to see people who are willing to help no matter what. I should have known that you guys are the real deal, I mean... You are Chiefs fans afterall! You are used to ups and downs on a week by week basis. 

The two most important things I am thankful for are in other rooms of the house. Jen is watching the weather (we had some light snow today) and the other one was standing up in her bed in her birthday suit when I went to check on her a few moments ago... Jennifer has been there to support me in everything I have tried to accomplish. Without her encouragement, I wouldn't have my degree and finishing up my bachelor's. She is the Yin to my Yang, the gravy to my mashed potatoes, you get the drift, don't you? My family believes she is a saint because she puts up with me. I tend to agree with them. 

Bailey, you are my sugar-booger, my pumpkin-noodle and my best buddy. You make your Dada proud every day because you wake up every morning and are willing to greet the world with a smile no matter what happened the day before. I wish I had that quality. I just wished my Dad were here to see you, but I know he is watching you from above and smiling, too. Well, I guess I'll close for now and let you guys enjoy the video of Bailey swinging with her Papa.

Rudolph the Ransomed Reindeer

Tonight, when I came home from the computer store, Bailey was posing in front of the tree showing me how much she is ready for Saint Nicholas to come visit her. If you look closely, you can see her letter to him in her hands. I wonder if it mentions what will happen to Rudolph if the keys to the Jeep are not in her stocking Christmas morning??

Welcome to our jungle

Seeing as everyone has a blog these days, Jennifer and I decided that we could not hold out any longer. We wanted to have a blog so our families and friends in different states would have the opportunity to find out what is going on in our lives, see pictures of Bailey and hear about the joys, trials and bizarre antics of our toddler. We chose the name "Laurie Safari" for two reasons:

1. Having a strong-willed two-year old with a "melt-your-heart" smile is a mental challenge because even though she occasionally acts up, one quick smile from her will lower your defenses to the point that before you know it, you are knee-deep in the ankle-biter jungle known as Chuck E. Cheese feeding a school bus tokens just so she can have fun... Boy, are we suckers! It's not everyday that two grown adults with college degrees can be manipulated by a toddler.

2. Let's see you come up with something that rhymes with "Laurie"... Go on, I dare you!

We took Bailey to the mall today to beat the Johnson County Soccer Moms in getting her picture taken with Santa. She was so excited to tell him what she wanted for Christmas (if you ask me, it read more like a cross between a list of demands and the Clinton sex scandal definitions of what "good" is). The fat man in the red suit asked her what she wanted for Christmas. He asked her if she wanted some toys or a doll and without missing a beat, she replied, "Jeep". She wants a Barbie PowerWheel Jeep. Hearing this, the only thing that ran through my mind was hearing the words, "SUNDAY!, SUNDAY!!, SUNDAY!!!!" and seeing my precious little girl popping a wheelie in the living room destroying the coffee table and giving me that smile which causes amnesia in me. For those who have not seen Bailey before or not for a while, here is a picture of her from today. For the Grandmothers, we have these in keychain form for you...

**Sigh**... As I write this entry, Jennifer just called me to Bailey's room where she was supposed to be in bed asleep. On my way there, Jennifer sends Bailey to come see me and show me what she did. I was greeted in the hallway by a naked little Jaybird. She managed to strip herself out of her feetie-pajamas and diaper and was playing in her room a la commando style... In the immortal words of that famous commercial from the 1980's... Calgon.... TAKE ME AWAY!!